Interior Design & Renovation Articles

7 Reasons Why a Higher Floor BTO Unit Isn’t Necessarily Better

Let’s set the scene. If you could pick either one, which would you go for? A flat on the second storey or its replica on the twelfth storey? Before you pick the latter, hold your horses – the house hunting process is a lot trickier than it looks.

Admittedly, there are many advantages to living on a higher floor, but let’s not sugar-coat the truth here. As a wise man once pointed out, nothing is as good as it seems beforehand.

Here are 7 drawbacks of living in an apartment on a higher floor that you haven’t thought of yet.

1. You Need To Vacuum More

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Higher floors are windier.

While this may be a wonderful perk to have in a blazing hot country like Singapore, there’s a catch here that can’t be overlooked – the floors, tables, and cabinets in your flat are about to get dusty at the speed of light.

House chore is going to be back-breaking. Frequent vacuuming and mopping is going to be taxing; who has the time for that?

But if you do eventually opt for a higher floor apartment, one natural solution is to shut the windows while you’re heading out; this way, it’ll reduce dust build-up. Alternatively, you could also invest in an effective air filter. If you can’t stand your feet grubby, wear a comfy pair of slippers indoors.

You can also invest in flooring that requires low maintenance.

Colin Phua from Renozone Interior Design House prefers homogenous/synthetic tiles as they are “quite tough and can last quite a while”. They are also much cheaper than marble and granite flooring.

Meanwhile, John Lau from Chapter One Interior Design recommends marble flooring, which can be “cleaned with just plain water and the gloss will be there”. “For tiles, there will be dirt trapped in the grouting. But with polished marbles, you don’t even feel grouting at all.”

2. Your Clothes (E.g. Undies) Might Fly Away

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Strong gust of wind and shaky bamboo poles do not complement each other well.

If the image of you running downstairs to search for your Avengers boxers or Victoria’s Secret lingerie amid the bushes and trees is mortifying, then you need to mull over the location of your new home.

Better make full use of those powerful pegs to hold down your clothes, stat!

3. It Puts Your Stamina To The Test

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When Ross Geller pays for his new couch at the furniture store, he balks at the exorbitant delivery fee. Taking into account he’s only three blocks away, he decides to rope in Chandler and Rachel to carry it to his new apartment.

The punchline? There’s no elevator. As a result, the three friends have to lug the humongous couch while climbing up a flight of stairs. Towards the climax, it goes through so much damage that it winds up cut in half. The whole scene is painful, gruelling, and embarrassingly funny.

The great news is, your new furniture will (probably) not end up as the same plight as Ross’ couch. But consider this: What if the elevator breaks down and you have to carry your brand spanking new dining table and go through the intimidating flight of stairs?

4. It’ll Break Your Bank

With perks like better view, fresher air, and reduced noise level, it’s little wonder why flats on higher floors are deemed as attractive and in demand. But did you know there’s a big cost difference between an apartment on a lower floor and higher floor?

Depending on the number of rooms, it could be a $10,000 difference – or a figure as high up as $70,000! Are you prepared to shell out this amount of money on your new BTO flat?

5. You Could Run Late

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Living on a higher floor means you have to spend a longer time waiting for the lift. Try imagining what it’s like during rush hour, say, seven o’clock in the morning when you’re heading off to work. It’s an awful picture, isn’t it?

Plus, you also have to deal with the panic-inducing lift crowd. This is unquestionably an unpleasant experience for all residents.

6. It Could Be Prone To Ceiling Cracks

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Higher floors are known to have more visible ceiling cracks than lower floors. More often than not, these surface imperfections are caused by the hot sun, rain, and poor workmanship.

Cracks are an eyesore that never fails to invite mocking from house guests. If you want your home to make a great first impression, this is a problem you need to pay extra attention to.

If the cracks are serious, simply plastering and painting over may not be an option. “Instead, you will have to add in an iron bar with wire mesh to stabilise the structure, then plaster and paint over it,” said Elementz Design Studio‘s Tommy Ong.

7. It Could Be Disruptive

If your BTO flat is set against a stunning backdrop, chances are, there’s going to be neighbours or strangers – depending on how you look at it – coming up to your floor to have a look at the scenery.

Granted, there’s nothing wrong with the above mentioned scenario; these people are free to roam around public space, after all. But if you value solitude or if you have a pet peeve about strangers sneaking a look into your home (they can’t help it), this is going to pose a major issue.

Now that you’ve considered these options, it’s time to ask yourself, how far are you willing to go for your dream home?

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